"Sirius'.. daughter?" Harry repeated slowly; allowing the words he just
heard to sink in. "He was married?"
"Yes, he married Daemon Mathews a week before your parents got married." Remus told him as Nikki sat down on the bed.
"What happened to her?" Harry asked out of curiosity.
"She was killed on the same night as your parents," Nikki told him as she looked back at the piece of paper she took out of her pocket. "Along with Lé Anna. A Death Eater killed them while Sirius was on his way to your house. Remus was supposed to meet them there but he was running late. He was watching me earlier that day, and I was just waking up. When he got there, they were already gone. They were brought to the hospital when Sirius got back and announced dead an hour after. Remus was turning into a werewolf the next night so he wasn't there to keep an eye on Sirius, who went after Peter."
"How..how do you know all of that?" Remus asked her. "You know so much about it."
"P.A.D told me in the letters he sent. He answered everything I asked him in the past seven years. Except..." She said as her voice dramatically dropped. "Except why no one came to get me..." She told him as her eyes swelled up. Harry could actually hear the sound of her heart breaking through her voice.
"I told you. I tried." Remus said sternly. "I tried every month but they always told me that I was unfit because I'm a werewolf and that I was friends with a murderer. There was one time that I was allowed to a few years ago, but you weren't there"
"Yeah," She replied glumly, "I run away a lot. Sometimes I just feel trapped so I just leave. But I'm never gone too long."
"Really," Remus said as they heard someone knocking at the door. "Yes?" Remus called to the door. Moments later, Mrs. Weasley's head popped in.
"Remus, I just wanted to let you know that supper is ready." She told him in a kind voice. "Are you hungry Harry dear? Moody told me that you came with someone. Is she hungry too?"
"When am I not hungry Mrs. Weasley?" Harry told her with a grin.
"Do you want something to eat Nikki?" Remus asked.
"No I'm good. I had a muffin today; I shouldn't be hungry for another..three days." She said with a sober expression.
"You should really have something else to eat Nikki." Remus told her in concerned voice. "A muffin isn't a lot of food."
"I'll leave you a plate of food and when you're hungry you can eat. OK?" Mrs. Weasley offered before leaving to go downstairs.
"Are you sure you don't want to eat. You can come downstairs and sit with us." Remus suggested as he made his way towards the door.
"No thanks Remus, I'm fine." She reassured as she stroked Buckbeak's beak.
"Alright," Remus said reproachfully as he closed the door. He and Harry walked down the stairs as the familiar voices of the people in the Order of the Phoenix became louder and clearer.
"Harry!" Fred greeted as they came into the room. The red head spooned another spoonful of potatoes into his mouth. "How are you?"
"Starved," Harry said as he looked onward at the variety of food scattered over the table.
"Well, pull up a chair!" George, Fred's twin, said as he pulled out the one beside him. "Eat!"
Harry sat down and began to drop food on to his plate listening in to the different conversations, trying to catch up with everything he missed. The news; the plans; the foods.
"Harry," Mr. Weasley spoke up. "I was talking to Dumbledore today. He said that after what happened that it's prime that you learn Occumenly. He said that he'll teach you unless he's really busy then Professor Snape has agreed to fill in. But you must practice. Even now, you could try clearing your head before you sleep; alright?"
Harry nodded his head, considering his mouth was overflowing with mashed potatoes. He did have a point. Last month, Lord Voldemort tricked Harry into getting his Prophecy by making him think that he was torturing Sirius. Harry spooned some more food into his mouth. Occumenly is too important to disregard this year. Last year, he, let alone the rest of the DA, barely got away with their lives because of his stubbornness to not practice it. He defiantly won't be making that mistake this year.
````````````````````````
"SIRIUS" Harry screamed as he bolted up in his bed. Harry could feel a trickle of cold sweat run down the side of his face. He gasped for air and his heart returned to it normal pace. Scene of Sirius falling behind a veil still flashed through his mind. He swung his feet over the side of his bed and stood up; swallowing his tears as Ron snored on.
He walked towards the door and down the stairs. As he passed the hangings that concealed Sirius' mother and noticed a glow coming from the living room. He reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Remus asleep in one of the armchairs in front of the fire. Nikki was in the one beside him, starring in to the fire as if it was casting a spell on her.
"Hi Nikki." Harry yawned as he sat on the edge of the couch facing her.
"Morning Harry," She said, fixed on the fire. "Bad Dream?"
"Yeah, what about you? Are you having trouble sleeping?"
"No, I can fall asleep when I want to. I'm just afraid to." She sighed.
"Why would you be afraid to fall asleep? You're not afraid of closet monsters are you?"
"No. Last year, I had the best dream. I was with my parents; and it was my birthday. We had so much fun together. It felt so real, and so right. Like that's where I should be and what I should be doing instead of being shunned at an orphanage. But then I woke up. And that's all it was; a dream. It was my birthday and all I had was a book from P.A.D.
"I was afraid to sleep that night. What if I go back and wake up to the Orphanage again. That's what it's like now; I'm afraid to fall asleep and wake up back in my small room again; with out Remus, Mr. Weasley, you, Buckbeak, and everyone; just Umbridge."
"Umbridge?" Harry repeated, his mouth hanging open.
"Yes, Darlene Umbridge. Her sister works in the Ministry. She hates be because I'm half Sorceress. She's been trying to out-law sorceress magic to underage people."
"Why?" Harry asked as Nikki threw some more wood into the fire.
"Sorcery isn't illegal if you're underage as long as you have total control over what you're doing." She explained as she looked at the same piece of paper from earlier.
"What is that Nikki?" Harry asked as he strained his neck to look.
"It's a picture of my parents on their wedding day." She said as she handed it over. "Your parents are there too."
Harry took the picture from her and saw Sirius, hair falling casually into his eyes like in Snape's Pensive. A girl with long black hair and in a white dress was throwing a water balloon at him. Harry saw his mom throwing one at his dad on the other side of the picture and beside him was Remus who was getting hit by a balloon that a blonde threw at him.
"Who's the one with blonde hair?" Harry asked as he handed her back her picture.
"That's Lé Anna, she was Remus' fiancée. She got killed with my mom." She said as she went back to looking at the fire. Harry watched her head droop on to her shoulder as she tried to pull it back up.
"Harry, if I fall asleep," She said as her head rested, "promise me that when I wake up, you'll still be here." She requested as her eyes slowly shut.
`````````````````````````` A/N: Here's the second chapter, I hope that you liked it too. I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter it was a little slow but the next one will be much better.
Kali Shan - I'm sorry that you hate that name, and that I chose it. Oh well, I'm glad that you liked the last one.
Heather - I updated, was it soon enough?
Ayla Lupin - good summary of the last chapter.
"Yes, he married Daemon Mathews a week before your parents got married." Remus told him as Nikki sat down on the bed.
"What happened to her?" Harry asked out of curiosity.
"She was killed on the same night as your parents," Nikki told him as she looked back at the piece of paper she took out of her pocket. "Along with Lé Anna. A Death Eater killed them while Sirius was on his way to your house. Remus was supposed to meet them there but he was running late. He was watching me earlier that day, and I was just waking up. When he got there, they were already gone. They were brought to the hospital when Sirius got back and announced dead an hour after. Remus was turning into a werewolf the next night so he wasn't there to keep an eye on Sirius, who went after Peter."
"How..how do you know all of that?" Remus asked her. "You know so much about it."
"P.A.D told me in the letters he sent. He answered everything I asked him in the past seven years. Except..." She said as her voice dramatically dropped. "Except why no one came to get me..." She told him as her eyes swelled up. Harry could actually hear the sound of her heart breaking through her voice.
"I told you. I tried." Remus said sternly. "I tried every month but they always told me that I was unfit because I'm a werewolf and that I was friends with a murderer. There was one time that I was allowed to a few years ago, but you weren't there"
"Yeah," She replied glumly, "I run away a lot. Sometimes I just feel trapped so I just leave. But I'm never gone too long."
"Really," Remus said as they heard someone knocking at the door. "Yes?" Remus called to the door. Moments later, Mrs. Weasley's head popped in.
"Remus, I just wanted to let you know that supper is ready." She told him in a kind voice. "Are you hungry Harry dear? Moody told me that you came with someone. Is she hungry too?"
"When am I not hungry Mrs. Weasley?" Harry told her with a grin.
"Do you want something to eat Nikki?" Remus asked.
"No I'm good. I had a muffin today; I shouldn't be hungry for another..three days." She said with a sober expression.
"You should really have something else to eat Nikki." Remus told her in concerned voice. "A muffin isn't a lot of food."
"I'll leave you a plate of food and when you're hungry you can eat. OK?" Mrs. Weasley offered before leaving to go downstairs.
"Are you sure you don't want to eat. You can come downstairs and sit with us." Remus suggested as he made his way towards the door.
"No thanks Remus, I'm fine." She reassured as she stroked Buckbeak's beak.
"Alright," Remus said reproachfully as he closed the door. He and Harry walked down the stairs as the familiar voices of the people in the Order of the Phoenix became louder and clearer.
"Harry!" Fred greeted as they came into the room. The red head spooned another spoonful of potatoes into his mouth. "How are you?"
"Starved," Harry said as he looked onward at the variety of food scattered over the table.
"Well, pull up a chair!" George, Fred's twin, said as he pulled out the one beside him. "Eat!"
Harry sat down and began to drop food on to his plate listening in to the different conversations, trying to catch up with everything he missed. The news; the plans; the foods.
"Harry," Mr. Weasley spoke up. "I was talking to Dumbledore today. He said that after what happened that it's prime that you learn Occumenly. He said that he'll teach you unless he's really busy then Professor Snape has agreed to fill in. But you must practice. Even now, you could try clearing your head before you sleep; alright?"
Harry nodded his head, considering his mouth was overflowing with mashed potatoes. He did have a point. Last month, Lord Voldemort tricked Harry into getting his Prophecy by making him think that he was torturing Sirius. Harry spooned some more food into his mouth. Occumenly is too important to disregard this year. Last year, he, let alone the rest of the DA, barely got away with their lives because of his stubbornness to not practice it. He defiantly won't be making that mistake this year.
````````````````````````
"SIRIUS" Harry screamed as he bolted up in his bed. Harry could feel a trickle of cold sweat run down the side of his face. He gasped for air and his heart returned to it normal pace. Scene of Sirius falling behind a veil still flashed through his mind. He swung his feet over the side of his bed and stood up; swallowing his tears as Ron snored on.
He walked towards the door and down the stairs. As he passed the hangings that concealed Sirius' mother and noticed a glow coming from the living room. He reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Remus asleep in one of the armchairs in front of the fire. Nikki was in the one beside him, starring in to the fire as if it was casting a spell on her.
"Hi Nikki." Harry yawned as he sat on the edge of the couch facing her.
"Morning Harry," She said, fixed on the fire. "Bad Dream?"
"Yeah, what about you? Are you having trouble sleeping?"
"No, I can fall asleep when I want to. I'm just afraid to." She sighed.
"Why would you be afraid to fall asleep? You're not afraid of closet monsters are you?"
"No. Last year, I had the best dream. I was with my parents; and it was my birthday. We had so much fun together. It felt so real, and so right. Like that's where I should be and what I should be doing instead of being shunned at an orphanage. But then I woke up. And that's all it was; a dream. It was my birthday and all I had was a book from P.A.D.
"I was afraid to sleep that night. What if I go back and wake up to the Orphanage again. That's what it's like now; I'm afraid to fall asleep and wake up back in my small room again; with out Remus, Mr. Weasley, you, Buckbeak, and everyone; just Umbridge."
"Umbridge?" Harry repeated, his mouth hanging open.
"Yes, Darlene Umbridge. Her sister works in the Ministry. She hates be because I'm half Sorceress. She's been trying to out-law sorceress magic to underage people."
"Why?" Harry asked as Nikki threw some more wood into the fire.
"Sorcery isn't illegal if you're underage as long as you have total control over what you're doing." She explained as she looked at the same piece of paper from earlier.
"What is that Nikki?" Harry asked as he strained his neck to look.
"It's a picture of my parents on their wedding day." She said as she handed it over. "Your parents are there too."
Harry took the picture from her and saw Sirius, hair falling casually into his eyes like in Snape's Pensive. A girl with long black hair and in a white dress was throwing a water balloon at him. Harry saw his mom throwing one at his dad on the other side of the picture and beside him was Remus who was getting hit by a balloon that a blonde threw at him.
"Who's the one with blonde hair?" Harry asked as he handed her back her picture.
"That's Lé Anna, she was Remus' fiancée. She got killed with my mom." She said as she went back to looking at the fire. Harry watched her head droop on to her shoulder as she tried to pull it back up.
"Harry, if I fall asleep," She said as her head rested, "promise me that when I wake up, you'll still be here." She requested as her eyes slowly shut.
`````````````````````````` A/N: Here's the second chapter, I hope that you liked it too. I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter it was a little slow but the next one will be much better.
Kali Shan - I'm sorry that you hate that name, and that I chose it. Oh well, I'm glad that you liked the last one.
Heather - I updated, was it soon enough?
Ayla Lupin - good summary of the last chapter.